How does the Drow Racial Class work?

[ZethVorador]

So my group just started a game where I am playing a Drow rogue level 4. I can already see how level adjustment is going to sting and I was wondering if anyone could explain the Drow Racial Class at the back of Drow of the underdark page 221-222. How does it work? Is it a better choice than level adjustment? I am looking at maybe skipping my spell resistance, is this good choice etc.

[Silvanoshei]

So my group just started a game where I am playing a Drow rogue level 4. I can already see how level adjustment is going to sting and I was wondering if anyone could explain the Drow Racial Class at the back of Drow of the underdark page 221-222. How does it work? Is it a better choice than level adjustment? I am looking at maybe skipping my spell resistance, is this good choice etc.

Ok. So you're thinking you don't want to pay the +2 level adjustment, and want to play the racial class levels. A good call, since level adjustments break your PC in all kinds of bad ways. (Spell casters for sure.)

Basically in the back of the book it compares Racial to Class, and when you get those abilities. Lets look at first level.

Normally the Class Level Lv 1 (+2 LA) would have Drow Base Traits +2 Int, +2 Cha, and Darkvision 120ft/Spell-like abilities. However, if you intergrate Racial Levels instead, you're level 1 will only have the Drow Base Traits +2 Dex, -2 Con (No Int or Cha increase, yet), Light Blindness, Darkvision 60ft. A Class Level Drow gets Spell Resistance at 2nd level, and Racial gets it at 4th. These are things to keep in mind.

Racial > Class, because LA is teh devil, and not worth your time.

[Gullara]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the drow racial class just allow you to play a drow at level 1? At any point after level 2, whether you pick the racial class or just take LA as usual, the end result is exactly the same. (Especially since you can't take only one level of the racial class, you have to take it all the way through.) I don't have access to my books to check exactly at the moment, however.

If you really want to play a drow, and can't stomach the LA (I don't blame you), try the Lesser Drow in... Races of Faerûn I believe. You lose some of the benefits of being a drow, but it's not as if the LA outweighed those anyway.

[Flickerdart]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the drow racial class just allow you to play a drow at level 1?
Some (but far from all) racial classes allow you to take however many levels you want and then bail out. Usually, this is explicitly stated at the start of the section. The Savage Progression articles on WotC's site are a good example of ones you can leave part-way, and the racial classes from Savage Species all require you to go all the way. There's no default rule for racial classes to fall back on, so if it doesn't mention what the case is for this particular Drow racial class, logically you can multiclass out of it (as normal for any class).

[Darius Kane]

I would suggest using this instead. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) It's simpler.

[Gullara]

Ah, see, I was thinking of the Savage Species ones, so that's where I was getting it from. Alright, that makes sense.

[hisnamehere]

I'm against bailing out of a Racial Class before completion. Doing so removes your racial abilities! That ends up making you less of the race you are so anxious to be a part of.
If a player of mine chose to do this, I would grant them all the disadvantages of being a half-race, and none of the benefits. You would be seen as turning your back on your own people. That's never good.

Happy gaming!

[nedz]

I'm against bailing out of a Racial Class before completion. Doing so removes your racial abilities! That ends up making you less of the race you are so anxious to be a part of.
If a player of mine chose to do this, I would grant them all the disadvantages of being a half-race, and none of the benefits. You would be seen as turning your back on your own people. That's never good.

Happy gaming!

Consider the Half-Fey RC.
Level 2 gets you flight, which trivialises many low level challenges.
Much better, IMHO, to delay this until about 6th — when Fly is common.

[Flickerdart]

You would be seen as turning your back on your own people. That's never good.

Drow are about as far from Good as you can get.

[Silvanoshei]

Yeah, agree with most. So OP, here is what I think you should do.

1). Play Drow with +2 LA, and use this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20040215a&page=2) buy out variant, which I think is pretty cool.

2). Play Lesser drow with this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20040215a&page=2). You get some nefty abilities but not the cool stat bonuses.

3). Play the savage species class variant here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a).

Happy gaming :durkon: